Mac Online Poker News

Online poker is not one of those games that are compatible with all pc's. In fact if you are a Mac user and have tried to play poker recently you probably were stumped as to why there are so many poker rooms and barely any Mac compatible poker rooms. It's like they're working directly with Microsoft to further the monopolistic era of Bill Gates Empire.
While many Mac applications may seem that way it's all a numbers game. According to the statistics, which may dramatically change because of the Intel processors, Mac users only represent 5% of the market share. There was actually an article out by Macworld.com that stated they expected in home use of Apple computers to jump by 3 times.
Fortunately, there are ways around these barriers Mac poker players face. After contacting literally hundreds of poker rooms I found only a handful of sites that were Mac compliant. I figured there had to be a better way. Visiting forums and other chat groups I found a lot of people use Java poker rooms, Dual Boot, run Virtual PC and even some talk has been around the use of Wine. Parallels is also a hot topic lately. We'll touch base on all these different uses to play poker on a Mac.
Java, while simplistic has been the best path for playing poker using a Mac. These Java poker rooms are also referred to as quick play and no download sites. They are customarily meant for players who don't want to download the software. Personally, I always used the Java versions when I was playing poker at work because it was much easier to get away with.
If you are not familiar with how Java works it runs in the browser leaving no traces of downloaded files. Like I said, great for playing at work. It also turns out that Java forms a great compatibility layer for Mac users trying to run certain applications such as poker programs. Macs that have Java run time installed run Java applets on their computer.
Newer Macs come with Java set up from the Apple manufacturer but if not you could always get it free of charge from Java.com. Instead of listing all the Java poker rooms for Macs, which consist of about 15 sites, I'll refer you to a place called where all Mac and Linux compatible sites are listed.
Like I said above there are some native poker rooms that run on Macs but the list is extremely small. Full Tilt, Bugsysclub, and a place called Gamesgrid have native download poker rooms. Full Tilt is actually a newer one which is by far the best in my opinion. Gamesgrid is a smaller site but they have backgammon for Macs which many say is the next wave in online gaming. I haven't seen any evidence to support that but it is true that a lot of poker pros have a background in backgammon. Benefits that native poker rooms have over Java are more features. Java limits features for game speed but the native versions come with everything that the Windows versions would. Note taking, avatars, hand histories and that entire jazz are things that the native poker rooms have that Java does not.
Before we divulge into other methods of playing poker on Macs let's discuss security issues. Because the security issues predominantly include Java and Download types we'll go into the subject right now. O.K. here's the problem with playing online poker. As you most certainly know fighting off cheaters is the single most important thing to the success of an online poker site.
Recently illegal cheat software and multi-table cheating has been exposed a long with some well known poker pros. Guys were getting picked off left and right for cheating and we're going to find out how and if it affects Mac users. Macintosh users are just as susceptible to these dangers as Windows users. So to fight the use of these illegal cheat software components and multi-account cheaters poker rooms have been sending out virus like attempts to view what you're doing while you play poker. These files called dll files capture information about what software programs you are running at the time and send it back to the poker room security employees where they can evaluate it while you play.
No matter if you're on a Mac or running Windows the poker rooms can view what programs you're running. It's not necessarily a terrible thing that they can view your files but if you have information you don't want in the wrong hands it might be. The thing is poker rooms can only send out dll files using their own poker programs. They can't legally send them in the Java software because of Java licensing agreements. This does potentially mean that you are safer from cheaters at downloadable poker rooms but you never know who's gathering this information about your computer. Due to personal preference I choose the Java way because I don't want anyone spying on my computer.
This takes us into the other territories of playing poker on Macs. I'm going to group Dual Booting and using Virtual PC together because they are closely related. Dual booting refers to running both Windows and Mac OS X operating systems on the same computer by partitioning your hard drive. Virtual PC is a software component which can be purchased from Microsoft that allows outside operating systems to run Windows applications without partitioning your hard drive. As you might expect the latter method is much easier but not a great route to take. Virtual PC is often extremely slow and buggy. The first time I installed Virtual PC I ran for the hills and immediately uninstalled it. The software is just too slow for me but some people don't mind. Newer versions are also said to be much faster but from my first impression I'll never go back.
Dual Booting on the other hand came to light when Apple decided to install the Intel processors into their newest Mac models. The MacBook Pro completed the integration of all new Mac Laptops going to the Intel chip. Dual Booting to play poker on Macs will certainly become more popular as more and more Mac users become owners of Intel Macs. The beta version for Dual Booting is called "Boot Camp" for right now. Word is that Apple plans to change the name once beta testing is completed. The Boot Camp download is also free but the Windows software is not. Whether you run Virtual PC or Boot Camp the user still needs a copy of Windows. Depending on what version you buy prices can range from $150-400. It also depends widely on where you buy the software from. A common question once Mac poker players decide on this method is, "Will I need virus protection since I will be running Windows." The answer to that is yes. Windows is very susceptible to all sorts of nasty stuff on the Web but your Mac OS X side will be safe. Only your Windows operating system is in danger.
Wine is the lesser of all accepted ways for playing online poker with Macs. Wine is more common amongst Linux poker players but now with the Intel chips the doors have opened for Wine and Macs to join hands. From what I hear most Wine/Mac poker players do not really advocate this option because Wine is still very unstable when running poker programs. Common bugs like sound problems, table minimization errors, font and table sizes occur all the time.
With all these options to choose from I'll give you a quick recap of what I would suggest from personal experience. First try Java poker rooms and see if you like online poker to begin with. There's no need to spend money on other methods if you're not sure if online poker is something you'll like anyway. Some Windows users who switch to Macs just can't get away from their favorite poker room and will end up Dual Booting. Party Poker tends to be the main reason most people go the Dual Boot route. There is a cost to Dual Booting or running Virtual PC so be prepared for that. Like we discussed above, running Wine can also be done. Wine is free but the programs could have problems that interrupt your playing time. When it boils down to it no one method is superior to the other. The Apple users decide on which method to choose based on their needs and wants in a poker program. I hope these techniques shed some light for the Mac online poker enthusiasts out there and help you find the best manner to suit your needs.